How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 194

a written commitment to supporting and endorsing a product or issue, the
consumer will now support the sponsoring company in their cause or will
willingly buy their product.
In one particular study, 100 high school students were asked to write an
essay on whether or not the voting age should be lowered. Half the
students were told the speeches would be published in the school
newspaper, while the other half were told the essays would be kept
confidential. After completing the essays, researchers exposed the
students to a persuasive speech arguing that the voting age should not be
lowered. Of the students assuming their papers were going to be
published, very few of them changed their original position. Of the
students who believed their papers were confidential, most altered their
stance on the issue to agree with the persuasive speech.
The Law of Dissonance in Marketing
The Bait and Switch
If you can get someone to mentally commit to a product or a decision, he
is likely to remain committed even after the terms and conditions change.
This is why when stores, for example, advertise very low prices on a
television set, they include in small print, "Quantities Limited." By the
time you get to the store, all the bargain televisions are sold, but you are
mentally committed to buying a new TV. Luckily for you, there are more
expensive models available. So, you go home having spent $300 more on
a television set than you originally planned, just because you needed to
maintain a consistency between your desire for a new TV and your action
of being in the store.
This tactic is also often used when goods and products go on sale. For
example, a customer may be lured to a store by an incredible deal on a
pair of nice dress shoes. Upon inquiring, the disappointed customer learns
from the salesperson that her size is not in stock. Just as the customer is
about to leave, the salesperson miraculously displays another strikingly
similar pair — but this pair is not on sale.
Think of a time when you purchased a new car. Have you ever noticed
that when you're about to sign the contract the price is $200 more than
you expected? Well, someone conveniently forgot to tell you about the
advanced suspension or some other feature found in your car. You pay the
194